the pics

[low_delta]

The other day, I posted five images. I needed to get the number down to four, so I asked you to help me figure out which image to toss out, and which four to keep. Okay, I didn't exactly ask that, I just asked the most basic question: "which one is least like the others?" It wasn't a quiz. I wasn't asking for people to get out a magnifying glass and come up with a list of differences. I wanted to know what they felt like. Since I spent a lot of time on some of these images, and have seen them many times since, I need a fresh perspective.

I was trying to put together a cohesive set of images, and of course, they needed to be good ones. One of my favorite themes is urban emptiness. I do a lot of abandoned places, but I prefer the emptiness in well-used spaces. It implies absence, rather simple abandonment. So I started with one of my favorites from last year...

1

Chicago's Fisher Building. It's a very ornate building, with its terra cotta sculptures and details. It's delicacy is bound by the EL. The heavy ironwork is not only a counterpoint, but a framing element. Also, I like the monochrome look. Perhaps interestingly, this photo is partly desaturated. I found the monochrome gold tones to be a bit overpowering.

But what else could I find to go with it? The next one I came across was both urban emptiness, and partially desaturated (and sepia toned) - the alley and street with the Irish pub and no parking sign. Then the wooden door caught my eye because it was also partially desaturated and sepia toned. It's empty of people, as well. The building with the dead end sign is fully desaturated (though with a color tone), and abandoned. Then the Cold Storage building. It looks abandoned, and the colors are not dissimilar to the others. So you can see how some of them go together better than others. The last two are looking up at abandoned-looking buildings, but they don't really have the feel of absence. Nor do they have quite the same color palette as the other three. The Irish pub has absence but not abandonment. The first one was my favorite, and the one that started off the set. So I asked others - you.

Here's what the set looks like, all together:
2   3
4   5

As I said, here, I was most interested in the feel. At first glance, which one seems out of place? Here are the commonalities, some of which you pointed out (numbers per this post).

1, 2. absence
4, 5. abandonment
1, 2, 3. partly desaturated
3, 4, 5. decay
1, 5. ironwork
1, 2, 3, 4. bricks (or cinder blocks)
1, 2, 4, 5. signs
2, 3, 4, 5. nothing fancy, Milwaukee

I think 2 and 3 are compositionally similar, as are 4 and 5. The Fisher Building feels different, not only because of the fancy detail on the building, but that the image is framed by the heavy ironwork. None of the other images have anything like that. So that one's out. Also interesting, the Fisher Building is the only one that slants away to the left.

I wonder if I would have come to that decision on my own, if I hadn't built the set around that particular image.

Thank you!

Comments

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Of course you could have come to that decision on your own. It was just more fun to ask. :^)

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I figured you wanted to end up with a set. I though the ornateness of the Fisher Building put it out of the category of the others.
And of course you would have come to the same conclusion!
:)

[northernsnokat.livejournal.com]

I love the fisher building one but you are right. It does not fit the rest of the pictures. I would have said find some that go with the fisher building but then I always like to make more work for people. LOL

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

find some that go with the fisher building

That was the intention, and this was the best I could do. Or did you mean to go out and take more? ;-)

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Quicker, too!

[northernsnokat.livejournal.com]

Yes go out and take some more. LOL I love looking at your pictures! That fisher building one could be framed!